Surat: A life convict who jumped interim bail in 1997 and remained absconding for nearly three decades was finally arrested by the Surat crime branch from Rourkela in Odisha, around 1,600km from Surat.The accused, identified as 56-year-old Pramod Swain, had been changing locations and identities to evade the police. Crime branch officials finally traced him to Rourkela, where he was allegedly living under an assumed identity and running a scrap business.Police said the crime branch recently received specific information that Swain was hiding in Rourkela. Technical surveillance subsequently confirmed his presence there, following which a team was sent to Odisha. The team kept watch for two days before apprehending him.Swain was convicted for the 1994 murder of karate black-belt champion Dinky alias Hosedar Rohington Bhujwala. He was among five accused convicted by the Surat sessions court and sentenced to life imprisonment on May 21, 1995.The murder took place on June 14, 1994, when Bhujwala was riding his Bullet motorcycle with his friend Rakesh alias Rocky Rana towards Bhaga Talav. Police said the motorcycle was intercepted near Chamunda Dairy over an old dispute linked to a karate competition and an alleged incident involving the molestation of the sister of one of the accused.The assailants allegedly attacked Bhujwala with a dagger, knife and wooden stick in a public place. Rakesh later lodged a complaint at Chowk Bazar police station.Swain was lodged in Vadodara Central Jail after his conviction. In 1997, he approached the Gujarat high court seeking 15-day interim bail to facilitate treatment for his wife. The court granted bail from May 20 to June 4, 1997. However, Swain failed to surrender on June 4 and remained at large.A separate case under the Prisoners Act was registered against him at Chowk Bazar police station in 2003.Assault case wanted caught after 24 yearsSurat: In a separate case, Prevention of Crime Branch (PCB) officials arrested 43-year-old Upendra Mahato, who had been wanted in a 2002 assault case.Police said Mahato had allegedly attacked Harikishore Ray on the head with a stick in Varachha, following which an FIR was registered at Varachha police station. Mahato remained absconding for more than two decades, allegedly moving between Delhi and Assam to evade arrest.Police said Mahato eventually returned to Gujarat, apparently believing that the police had stopped pursuing the case. He had been living in Kim in Surat district for the past five months when PCB officials traced him through human and technical surveillance and arrested him.
